7 Ways to Attract and Engage Followers on Twitter

Are you overwhelmed by Twitter and not sure how to use it for business?

Are you unsure what to Tweet about and how to Tweet it?

This Post Contains 7 Tips that you can apply immediately to engage and attract more quality followers on Twitter.

# 1. Set Up Your Twitter Bio For Success

Your Twitter Bio and Profile Picture give an important first impression. Make it count! Ensure that your Twitter Bio is interesting and informative, so that other Twitter Users can decide if you are worth following.

Use a photo of a real person if possible. People want to connect with “People” on Twitter. Use a clear, professional headshot. Avoid using a logo. A photo humanizes your company brand

Note that I do not use our logo for my Profile Picture. It is included on the Twitter Background instead.

Lorna Jane (Founder of Lorna Jane Activewear) uses her photo rather than a logo. This personalizes her brand.

For some companies, using a logo may be preferred. Here are two ways to do this effectively:

Zappos strike a balance between the person and the brand. Tony Hsieh (CEO) is very active on Twitter and their company pride themselves on customer service.

Using the Twitter Background, Zappos show the “face” behind the brand.

Use your real name: On your Twitter Profile you have two name fields:

Name: Use your real name where possible

Username: This is where you can be creative. Keep it as short as possible, as you only have 140 characters to Tweet with. Some people use their name. Others use their business name, or a derivative of it. For example, my “Name” is Donna Moritz, but my “Username” is @SociallySorted

Add your “real” location. Twitter Users take an interest in where you are from. Add your location to better connect with other users in your area

Include the URL for Your Website. Make it easy for new followers to find your website and learn more about your brand

Include the URL for a second Website or Social Media Account in your Bio Description. Most people do not realize that you can do this. You are allowed up to 160 characters, so use them! In the following examples, note how the bio includes an additional link. This is a great way to encourage engagement with followers

The editor of @smblog_es, Beatriz Aguilar, has included her Facebook link in addition to the website URL. She gives a clear call to action to “Follow us on Facebook”.

Amy Porterfield includes a link to her latest webinar in her bio. This leads to new leads and sales of her online programs.

# 2. Respond to @Mentions & Retweets

Twitter is all about making connections and having conversations. To attract quality followers, it is important that you remember to regularly check any mentions of you or your business on Twitter. Do this daily by checking for:

@Mentions

Retweets/RTs (of your content)

Mentions of your business name/brand

Take the time to:

Reply and say thank you for any Retweets

Engage in conversation if you are mentioned in a Tweet

Check the first name of the person. Use their name and their @username in the Tweet if possible. This is beneficial because it shows them that:

You are not automating your Tweet

You are wanting to engage

Here are some examples:

Beatriz has responded to Mariel’s @mention recommending her blog posts. Note that she uses her name (Mariel) as well as her username (@MarielIsasi) to thank her for her kind words.

Always take the time to thank someone for a Retweet. Use their name to make it personal.

Do you take notice when someone uses your first name? I know that I do! If you take the time to use these strategies it will encourage conversation and attract followers on Twitter.

# 3. Don’t Automate Everything – Be Real and Post in Real-Time

There are so many tools available for scheduling your posts, that it is tempting to automate everything on Twitter. Please Don’t. There is nothing wrong with automating some posts (such as your blog posts) by using tools such as Hootsuite, or Sprout Social but be careful not to automate everything. Remember to follow up on Tweets and engage in conversation daily in “real time”.

Personally, I use Bufferto post out great articles that I see as I am browsing the Internet. Sometimes I find 2 or 3 at once, so instead of Tweeting them immediately, I will schedule some to post later via Buffer.

Twitter Tip: Always add an interesting question or statement in front of the link to encourage engagement.

Remember to give credit to the author by including their @username. Buffer is now integrated with Twitter, so you can schedule from within Twitter itself (as long as you have Buffer installed).

Regardless of how you share on Twitter, try to remember the following:

Space out your tweets. Do not schedule your tweets to post at the same time

Ensure that you come back at least daily to respond to @mentions and Retweets. Engage!

Always post some Tweets in “real-time”. Don’t automate all of your Tweets

Try to send “Thankyou Tweets” to at least some of the people that follow you. Use their first name in the Tweet. Avoid Auto Direct Messages – they can annoy new followers!

Try to thank some followers in “real-time”, using their name.

If somebody makes the effort to publicly mention you in a Tweet, Retweets your content, adds you to a List or “Favourite” your Tweet, then take the time to thank them back

Check out the profile of a person that @mentions you, Retweets your posts or adds you to a list. Find out something about them and start a conversation with them

When you engage in real-time you will attract more followers and people who will share your content.

# 4. Create Twitter Lists

Using Twitter Lists is a great way to connect with others. Unfortunately, most users do not use them and some don’t realize that they exist!

A Twitter List is simply a way of categorizing the people you “follow” on Twitter into specific streams of information.

Twitter Lists allow you to:

Find Tweets from those people or companies that are important

Check on information in a streamlined way – without having to use the Twitter Feed

Search for Tweets from specific people, saving time

Give credit to influencers in your niche that you want to connect with (by adding them to a specific list)

Setting Up Your Lists

You can establish up to 20 Lists on Twitter. Think of interesting titles for your lists. Try to cover the whole range of people that you will follow. This makes it easier to add each new follower into one or multiple lists

Follow what is happening in a particular niche. My Lists include Social Media, Video Marketing and Local Businesses in my area, as well as Bloggers and Twitter Users that I love:

Showcase thought leaders in your industry with Twitter Lists.

Organize your lists into “Public” or “Private”. Most of your lists will be Public. Some instances may call for a Private List. For example, I have a Private list for my clients, so that I can quickly find them in one place

Give credit to businesses or influencers that you want to connect with. For example, I have lists called “Companies I Love”, “Social Media Innovators”, “Video Marketing Allstars”, “Savvy Marketing” and “Tools that Rock”. Being added to the list pays a compliment to the person, product or service. They also receive notification that they have been added

If there is somebody you wish to connect with, follow them and then add them to a List that will get their attention!

Find people or businesses that you want to connect with on Twitter and look at the Lists that they follow. Subscribe to follow their lists

Twitter Tip: Develop a habit of adding everyone you follow into a List at the same time as you follow them. Twitter Followers love to be added to lists and they will Tweet thankyou.

# 5. Use Twitter Lists of other Users

Now that you have set up your Twitter Lists and added some Users to them, how can you find more people to follow?

Look at the Lists of others in your niche, especially Influencers or Thought Leaders. Follow them and follow the people on their lists

Follow companies that your “ideal client” would be following and look at their lists

Are there people or businesses that would be of interest to you or your clients? Follow them and follow the people on their lists

For example:

I am a Social Media Strategist. I follow the lists of various thought leaders in social media

If you are a writer, you could follow the lists of famous authors, or perhaps book publishers

If you are a business coach, you could follow the lists of other business coaches, motivational speakers and thought leaders who Tweet about business and success.

Why not check out your local “competition” and look at who is on their list too. It is an easy way to find “ideal clients” to follow

How to find the Lists of Others on Twitter?

Go to the user you want to follow. Scroll down below their profile picture and click on LISTS

You will see all the Lists that the person or company is subscribed to (or is a member of). For example (below), if you look at the Twitter Profile of Benet M.(@benetmaria) from Social Media Blog, you would see the Lists that Benet M. has:

Established and Subscribed to or

Been listed as a member of by another Twitter User.

Click on “Lists” to reveal all of the lists the person has established, subscribed to, or been listed as a member of.

If you search on the profile of Benet M. Marcos (@benetmaria) from SocialMediaBlog.es you will see Benet’s Lists as well as those that he subscribes to.

# 6. Make a List of the People Who Love Your Content (and Engage with them!)

On Twitter, you want to connect with people who like your content, and respond to your Tweets. Why not create a list of those people so that you can find them more easily?

I recently set up a List that tracks those people who Retweet or mention my content. In particular, I add people to this list if they:

Indicate that they want more content from me

Retweet my content

Give great feedback or engage with me

This List pays attention to people that like my content and engage with me! It is my most important List .

Don’t let these followers drift away – they are great to connect with! Be sure to thank them publicly for their support, and Tweet out about them to other followers. When you have content that these people will like, let them know. They could become your raving, referring brand advocates, so engage in conversation with them.

Search under the hashtag of the chat you would like to join. Look at the previous chat content to see if it is relevant to you

Put the time for the chat in your diary. Check www.timeanddate.com for the time zone conversion if you are in another country

Join in the conversation and remember to add #xyzchat (the relevant hashtag) to the end of your Tweets

Take note of the people that interact with you and Retweet or @mention them during your chat

Twitter Tip: These are great people to follow and add to Lists!

Twitter Chats are a great way to find new people to follow and (in return) you will get followed by new people as well. The more you participate, the better the engagement!

There are many ways to use Twitter to grow your following. Start with just one or two of the ideas in this post. You will be surprised at how quickly it will help you to grow a relevant, engaged following on Twitter.

What about you? Have you used any of these strategies? What engagement strategies work best for you on Twitter? Leave your @username below so that we can follow you and connect (or come and say hi at @smblog_es or @sociallysorted).

Hi Donna-
Great article! I’m wondering how do I find out about Twitter chats? I did a search recently and found a bunch of different lists of these chats- but is there one place to look? Any other tips you have on Twitter chats would be greatly appreciated. I really like your approach of breaking complex topics down into simple manageable steps with screen grabs to illustrate what you mean. Thanks!

Very interesting post. What are your thoughts on tools like http://www.tweetfavy.com/ it really helped us gain a significant presence on Twitter and gave us a lot of followers in the process. Have you tried it yet?

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